1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cooking pots of various types and more particularly to accessory devices for cooking a plurality of foods in separate trays within one type of cooking pot called a slow cooker.
2. Background and Description of the Prior Art
A variety of cooking vessels are available for cooking meals in an oven, on a stove burner, or as a stand-alone appliance having a self-contained heat source. Traditional vessels include pans or roasters with lids that must be placed on or in a source of heat. Electric cooking pots are well known devices that typically contain a heating element built in to the bottom of the pot. A lid or cover is provided to contain the heat and much of the humidity while cooking. Controls for adjusting or regulating the temperature and cooking duration are generally provided, ranging from a simple “High” and “Low” switch to programmable controls and timers. While conventional cooking pots typically have a single compartment for cooking, some types are available with inserts or accessories for keeping foods separated during cooking, for steaming, and the like.
Another type of vessel is the slow cooker. A slow cooker is constructed for use as a stand alone cooking device. It is characterized by a built-in heating element embedded in the walls and bottom of the vessel so as to surround the contents of the vessel as completely as possible. This construction facilitates the uniform application of heat to the contents to obtain the benefits of slowly cooking the food placed in the vessel. However, slow cookers heretofore available have the deficiency of not being able to slowly cook several different foods at the same time in the same vessel. Further, the inserts—various types of vessels, receptacles, and supporting devices—disclosed in the prior art for use with other types of cooking pots are not readily adaptable because of structural limitations that do not take into account the specific structural and functional attributes of slow cookers. These attributes include the need to maintain a close seal at the closure between the rim of the vessel and the lid. Further, the walls of a slow cooker tend to be thicker because of the embedded heating elements and are thus less amenable to changes in configuration to adapt them to various kinds of insert vessels or receptacles. Thus, the inserts provided with conventional cooking vessels are not suitable for slow cookers.
Some examples of prior art insert devices for cooking pots include the following. U.S. Pat. No. 590,212 issued to Daesch describes a semicircular inner vessel that is suspended from a pair of ears disposed on opposite, upper sides of the vessel and which fit into corresponding slots provided in the wall of the outer vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 712,793 issued to Henis & Jamison discloses a detachable frame that rests on the rim of an open vessel for suspending one or more insertable vessels within the open vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 1,470,199 issued to Small requires a stepped, annular shoulder formed in the wall of the metal pot for supporting semicircular insert trays and a vertical, full-height partition secured to the bottom and sides of the pot. U.S. Pat. No. 1,613,671 issued to O'Donnell describes an insert vessel for suspending on clamps disposed around the outside of the insert vessel that engage the upper rim of a an open saucepan or kettle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,639,787 issued to Cullen discloses a full-depth, generally triangular receptacle having a curved outer wall reinforced by an inverted, curved channel for suspending the receptacle from the like-curved upper rim of a cooking pot. A handle extends outward from the outer side of the curved channel. The receptacle is configured so that four such receptacles may be used in the cooking pot.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,958,978 issued to Thomas describes a double-walled, pan-like insert frame for a steam cooker wherein a first wall of the frame is configured to rotate several degrees within a second wall of the frame against the tension of several springs disposed circumferentially within and between the rims of the first and second walls. The first and second walls have round, slightly offset openings in the bottom portion for receiving small round receptacles therein and gripping them in position in the frame. The frame, having an out-turned edge, is suspended within the steam cooker from the rim of the steam cooker. A cover is configured to fit the rim of the insert frame, which differs in cross section from the rim of the steam cooker because of the construction of the insert frame. U.S. Pat. No. 2,048,572 issued to Smith recites a one-piece insert receptacle for a large receptacle or roasting pan for use in an oven or placed in contact with some other external heat source. The insert may include several small, separate receptacles surrounding a larger central receptacle formed therein. The insert rests on the bottom of the pan and includes a pair of bail-like handles extending inward from the central receptacle for lifting. U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,628 issued to Lederman discloses a bucket-like pan modified to have three notches in its rim spaced at equal intervals around the rim. A wire rack having three outward-extending arms located to be placed within the notches provides a frame for suspending individual receptacles within the pan.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,098 issued to Anelli describes a slow cooker housing having two or more individual cavities for receiving separate cooking containers heated by separate elements. The heating elements are controlled by a keyed mechanism when a container that is at least partially filled is inserted in one of the cavities. The keyed mechanism enables disabling an individual, unfilled container. Each container has a separate lid. U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,602 issued to Li describes a roasting oven having an outer housing and an inner liner, and further having a collapsible rack that rests on the rim of the inner liner of the roasting oven. Individual cooking, serving, or storage containers are supported in openings in the rack. U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 156,184 issued to Ulmer illustrates the ornamental design of a circular, sauce pan-like food warming rack that supports three separate containers within it. U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 347,354 issued to Naft illustrates the ornamental design of a semicircular tray with a perforated bottom for a steaming appliance. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0083904 filed by Wei-Wen discloses an inner pot or liner for a roasting oven that receives and supports separate ‘steaming boxes’ without the need of a separate pallet or frame, wherein the inner liner itself is supported by the edge of the roasting oven vessel.
Other slow cookers represented in the prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 6,963,051 issued to You describes a single-cavity slow cooking inner vessel having an insulated outer vessel surrounding the inner vessel and heating source. U.S. Pat. No. 6,987,247 issued to Schaffeld et al. discloses a portable, single-cavity slow cooker having a sealing apparatus, which cooperates with a handle-and-latch mechanism, to prevent spills or leakage between the lid and the vessel. U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 260,958 issued to Nishikawa illustrates the ornamental design for a double well slow cooker that combines two separate slow cookers in a common housing. U.S. Design Pat. No. D459,144 issued to Brady illustrates the ornamental design for an insert basin for a slow cooker having a lateral, outward extending lip disposed around its upper rim.
As evidenced by the foregoing review of items of the prior art, all of them have the deficiency of having features that impair the closure of the lid and the vessel or require modifications to the cooking vessel. Thus, presently available slow cookers would require structural modifications to be made to the cooking vessel itself or to its lid, which tends to increase their cost to manufacture, or which complicates a conversion or adaptation of an existing slow cooker because of its particular structure. What is needed is a solution that provides a slow cooker with one or more basins or compartments without necessitating structural modifications to the slow cooker vessel or its lid and which do not impair the closure or fit of the slow cooker's lid with the vessel.